Nutritional experts currently believe that the risk of cardiovascular disease can be decreased by reducing one's consumption of saturated fats. As conventional butter is required by federal law (Act of 4 Mar. 1923) to have a fat content of at least eighty percent, compliance with current nutritional guidelines essentially requires that the use of this flavorful and widely used spread be curtailed or that it be eliminated from one's diet.
Parent application No. 08/221,068 discloses certain new and novel, reduced fat content, butter products which can generally be consumed in moderate quantities, even by one on a voluntary or mandated, reduced fat diet.
The novel reduced fat content butter products disclosed in the '068 application have a flavor closely resembling, if at all distinguishable from, that of a conventional (full fat) butter. The consistency of the reduced fat content butter product can be anywhere from hard to very soft and spreadable at refrigeration temperatures, and whipped butters can be made.
Yet another advantage of the novel reduced fat content butter products disclosed in the parent application is that they are essentially free from weeping and oiling out. Furthermore, the process by which the products are made has the significant advantage that it does not require or employ ultrafiltration as does the process of making butter products disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,769,255 issued 6 Sep. 1988 to Ahmed et al. Ultrafiltration equipment requires a significant financial investment and furthermore generates a waste product which presents a significant disposal problem in that it cannot be dumped or discharged into a sewer.